A series of PtCr/C catalysts was prepared by chemical reduction via the seeding/impregnation technique using sodium borohydride (NaBH4) as the reducing agent and then treated at different temperatures in the range of 500-900 degrees C under a N-2 atmosphere for 2 h at ambient pressure. The effect of heat treatment on the catalyst morphology, oxygen reduction reaction activity and stability in a low temperature/pressure proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell was explored. Increasing the heat treatment temperature within this range increased the degree of alloying, particle sizes, Cr content and in-plane conductivity, but diminished the catalyst dispersion and the electrochemical surface area of all the PtCr/C catalysts. Among all the prepared PtCr/C catalysts, that heat-treated catalyst at 500 degrees C (PtCr/C-500) was the most promising catalyst for the ORR in a PEM fuel cell under a H-2/O-2 environment, considered in terms of the catalytic activity and stability. (C) 2018 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.